Habitat

• native to central and southern Europe to western Siberia
• hardy to zone 3
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, .

Habit and Form

• a deciduous tree
• widespreading
• 60' to 100' tall
• 40' to 60' wide
• oval, open irregular crown
• coarse texture
• rapid growth rate

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple, deciduous leaves
• lobed leaves with undulate leaf margins
• 2" to 5" long
• pubescent, white underside
• tomentose petiole
• coarsely toothed
• dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow fall color

Flowers

• flowers before leafs out
• catkins
• not ornamentally important
• yellow

Fruit

• elongated capsule
• 0.2" to 0.3" long
• dry, brown
• litter
• two-valved

Bark

• showy, white bark
• smooth
• older bark becomes ridged and furrowed
• gray stems
• marked with dark splotches

Culture

• grows best in full sun
• salt and drought tolerant
• suckers
• prune in summer
• air pollution tolerant
• prefers moist, deep, loam
• pH adaptable

Landscape Use

• large shade tree
• park tree
• good urban tree
• for decoration from showy bark

Liabilities

• crown gall
• trunk cankers
• brittle wood
• roots can cause problems with drainage, sidewalks, etc.

ID Features

• small, imbricate buds appressed
• light chestnut brown buds, tomentose
• showy, white bark
• pubescent and white leaf undersides
• coarsely toothed leaf margins
• catkins

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Globosa' - Forming a large rounded multi-stemmed shrub, this dwarf cultivar bears young leaves that are pinkish with a gray pubescence underneath.

'Pyramidalis' - Called "Bolleana Poplar", this is perhaps the most popular cultivar. It grows as a harshly fastigiate form with vertical branching. It can reach 60' tall and only 10' wide. It is prone to many diseases and is not a viable landscape choice.

'Richardii' - A slow-growing tree or cut-back shrub, this plant is notable for its yellow leaves.